Congress says NDA ‘conceding defeat’ in Bihar Assembly polls

Senior Congress leaders on Sunday (November 9, 2025) launched a scathing attack on the ruling BJP-JD(U) alliance in Bihar, alleging that the NDA has already “conceded defeat” in the ongoing Assembly elections and accusing it of large-scale corruption and administrative negligence over the past two decades.

Addressing presspersons in Patna, Congress leader Pawan Khera claimed that following the high voter turnout in the first phase and growing public support for the Opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the final phase on November 11, NDA leaders have begun vacating their official residences. “Sensing defeat, officials under NDA leaders are shifting important files,” he alleged, warning that it would not be surprising if fires broke out at locations where these files are stored.

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Mr. Khera, who heads the Congress’s media and publicity wing, also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his controversial “katta” remark at recent rallies. Mr. Modi had suggested that if the RJD-led Opposition came to power, people would be threatened with country-made guns. “The Prime Minister has insulted Bihar’s youth and should apologise,” Mr. Khera said.

Meanwhile, Congress general secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh accused the BJP-JD(U) government of “looting” Bihar through corruption and mismanagement. In a post on X, Mr. Ramesh cited the Comptroller and Auditor-General (CAG) 2025 report, alleging that the Bihar government spent ₹70,877.61 crore without submitting 49,649 utilisation certificates, leaving no evidence of how the funds were used.

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He claimed that funds meant for Dalits, backward communities, farmers, health, education, and social welfare were either misused or left unspent. Departments such as education, rural development, urban development, and SC/ST welfare were among those with the highest unaccounted expenditures.

Mr. Ramesh highlighted that over the past five years, ₹3.59 lakh crore in budgetary allocations remained largely unutilised, with up to 35% of the Budget going unspent in some years. He said crucial schemes such as the Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan and the mid-day meal programme saw more than half their funds unspent, directly impacting children’s education and nutrition. “Out of every 100 rupees approved for children’s education, the government did not spend about 50 rupees,” he said.

He further alleged that centrally sponsored schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and SC/ST/OBC welfare programmes also suffered from underutilisation, with an average of 40% of funds remaining unused.

Polling for the second and final phase will take place on November 11, and the results will be announced on November 14.